GARDEN HELPS 



Conducted by Minnesota Garden Flower Society 



Edited by Mrs. E. W. Gould, 2644 Humboldt Avenue So. 

 Minneapolis. 



December 6th, 1916. — The Minnesota Garden Flower Society has just 

 completed a most busy and profitable year. We have a paid membership of 

 174 and two honorary members. Sixty-eight of these are new this year. 

 Analyzing our membership list we find sixty-two live in St. Paul, sixty-nine 

 in Minneapolis, nine belong to the Nemadji Club, thirty-four are scattered 

 outside the Twin Cities. Thanks to Mrs. Boardman, we have one member 

 in Chicago and two in Pennsylvania. So our fame is spreading. Sixteen 

 have already paid dues for 1917. 



Our program committee issued the year's program early. It was 

 planned to have a meeting each month, alternating between St. Paul and 

 Minneapolis. There have been six program meetings during the year; two 

 in Minneapolis, three in St. Paul and one between the two, at the Agricul- 

 tural College. One informal flower show, held in Minneapolis, May 22nd; 

 the big June flower show with the Horticultural Society, June 23rd; two 

 garden meetings, both in Minneapolis; and a greenhouse meeting. 



At the president's suggestion, the experiment of serving tea and cakes, 

 after the indoor meetings, has been tried with great success. In no case has 

 the expense exceeded 50c, and the pleasure and sociability of the meetings 

 has been greatly increased. The club owes thanks to the social committees 

 of the two cities for this service, since it has meant quite a bit of work for 

 them. 



A garden photographic contest is being held now. Six contestants have 

 entered photographs. Prizes are to be plants, given by Mrs. Sawyer, Mrs. 

 Tillotson and Mrs. Gould. 



Our page in the Horticulturist has been kept up by Mrs. Gould, our 

 president; and she is to go to Des Moines as the delegate from the Horticul- 

 tural Society to the Iowa Horticultural Meeting. 



Seeds were given to members at the March meeting and the September 

 meeting. 



The club is under obligations to Mr. Theodore Wirth, and Mr. Meyer, 

 of the Minneapolis Park Board, and to Professor Cady, of the Agricultural 

 College, for the seeds given out in September and for many other courtesies. 



We have published no leaflet this year, but instead have given each 

 member a copy of Mrs. Boardman's "Pronouncing Handbook." 



Our society has been asked to give one day's program at the "Farmers' 

 Short Course," given at the Agricultural College the first week in January. 

 Our day will be January 6th. 



Miss Anne McKibbin has offered us the use of about seventy lantern 

 slides showing Italian gardens, which will probably be used then. 



Through an arrangement with Secy. Latham, it has been possible for us 

 to give plant prizes to our members, for securing new memberships. 



There have been no formal papers given at our meetings during the 

 year. — Mrs. M. L. Countryman, Secy. 



The January meeting of the society will be held January 6 at the Farm 

 School, Room 20, Horticultural Building, at 10 a. m. and 1 :15 p. m. Lunches 

 can be procured on the grounds. We hope this meeting will be largely 

 attended. 



The year's program, we trust, will be ready for publication in the Feb- 

 ruary Magazine. Watch this page for it. 



Our meetings during 1917 will alternate between St. Paul and Minne- 

 apolis as heretofore and will be held on the second Friday of each month, 

 exceptions being noted on this page. 



Our Nemadji branch has had a most active and successful year, having 

 held fourteen meetings, one of which was a banquet at which the husbands 

 were entertained. Flowers were sent to hospitals and members' gardens 

 visited by the society. This shows what a civic and social asset a branch in 

 any of the smaller cities may become. Nemadji, we feel very proud of you 

 and wish we had many branches doing the splendid work you are doing! 



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